Missouri mom fights charges for breastfeeding during jury duty

A Missouri mother is battling charges of contempt of court because she was breastfeeding her seven-month-old baby while serving on jury duty.

Laura Trickle said that when she received her summons for service
in August, she notified Jackson County court officials that she
was nursing her son Axel. In January, her service was postponed
because she was pregnant.

Court officials gave Trickle two options: to arrange child care
or to bring someone along who could care for the child on the day
of her summons.

Trickle instead appeared in court on September 3 with her
seven-month-old son, hoping to get an exemption.

Instead, the judge offered her two more options during the jury
selection.

"I would be able to pump on breaks. Unfortunately Axel doesn't
take a bottle, so that was not an option for us. The other option
was to have someone stay with me all day and then be able to
nurse on breaks. But since I'm a stay-at-home mom, we don't have
childcare," Trickle told Kansas City’s KCTV5 news.

Having turned down both of the judge’s options, Trickle is now
facing contempt charges and up to a $500 fine at her hearing this
Thursday. Presiding Judge Marco Roldan said that she
"willfully and contemptuously appeared for jury service with
her child and no one to care for the child.”

"It is not right. It is not fair for us. We're just
trying to do what is best for our children, and we shouldn't be
penalized and fined for it," Trickle countered.

Judge Roldan explained that jurors can be excused from service in
a situation of “undue or extreme physical or financial
hardship," claiming that he has exercised that discretion.

The Missouri Senate is now trying to introduce an exemption for
breastfeeding mothers from serving on jury duty.

"Babies who are breastfed generally are healthier, are less
likely to have certain health problems and will cost the state
less resources," state Senator Rob Schaaf said, as quoted by
AP. "Jury duty is a roadblock to that."